Nothing soft about this college ballplayer

Making the leap from high school to collegiate athletics is not always an easy transition for even the most successful graduates.

Adrienne Chase is not one of those people.

The former Wachusett Regional softball standout from Holden played a significant role in pacing the University of New England in capturing the Commonwealth Coast Conference Softball Championship in Newport, R.I., on May 5. The team received an automatic qualification berth into the field of 61 for the NCAA Division III Softball Championship.

For the tournament, Chase totaled six RBI in a 5-for-9 effort at the plate. She was also named Commonwealth Coast Conference Rookie of the Week for the period ending May 6.

So much for freshman jitters.

“College is definitely more fastpaced, but my playing time at Wachusett served me well,” said Chase. “It’s definitely a different game and a lot sn tougher competition. We also play as much as eight games a week, so it can be demanding. We started in the fall soo I got to meet a lot of my new teammates early on, and that was good.”

UNE was eliminated from the NCAA Division III Softball Championship in Amherst after one win and two losses, finishing at 27-14. This was the third straight 25-plus win season for the program.

“As a team, we were wellprepared,” Chase said. “There’s always some extra stress in this kind of competition, but I’ve been playing since I was a kid and I decided to just go out and play my game.”

“Adrienne (AC) was a big part of Wachusett making the districts last year,” said Wachusett softball coachh Joe Cataldo. “Her hard work ethic and dedication are a coach’s dream. She’s an awesome team player and would play any position asked. She’d run through the fence to catch a ball. She’s always upbeat and smiling.

“I knew Adrienne could play at the college level as long as her nerves didn’t get the best of her, and obviously they didn’t because she had a great rookie year at UNE.”